Meet the Speakers

Candice Coppola

The AI Group Chat: The Stuff We’re Actually Trying, Testing & Figuring Out

Candice Coppola is a business coach, educator, and straight-talker for wedding professionals who are ready to stop playing small and start running real businesses. A former luxury wedding planner turned industry leader, she’s helped thousands of pros raise their prices, sharpen their voice, and build brands that actually stand out. Now, she’s leading the charge on what’s next—showing wedding pros how to use AI as their behind-the-scenes powerhouse to streamline operations, unlock creativity, and reclaim their time.

 WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Alan berg, CSP

10 Ways Wedding Pros Can Use AI Today

If you’re in the wedding or event business and want to book more and grow faster, you’ve probably already heard of Alan Berg. With over 25 years in sales, marketing, and sales leadership—and real-world experience as VP of Sales at The Knot and publisher of two wedding magazines — he’s helped thousands of businesses, from solopreneurs and startups, to global hotels, turn more leads into bookings.

Alan’s not just a speaker—he’s one of only 44 Global Speaking Fellows worldwide, the first Certified Speaking Professional™ in the wedding industry, and a Fellow of the Professional Speaking Association in the UK and Ireland.

He’s also the host of the Wedding Business Solutions Podcast with over 280,000 downloads and counting. His clients span the globe—from Ireland to India, Dubai to Australia—covering everything from DJs and caterers to planners, florists, and dress shops.

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Christie Osborne

Almost Right Is Worse Than Totally Wrong: Why Adding Tools Makes It Harder to Fix Marketing Problems

Christie Osborne is a marketing systems strategist and founder of Mountainside Media. She works with service-based businesses who are doing all the marketing but are unsure what drives results.
By tracking what happens across marketing and sales she finds where time and budget is wasted. Then she helps teams rebuild simpler systems that are easier to manage and measure.
Christie is a longtime educator in the event industry and a regular speaker at NACE, WIPA, The Special Event, and Catersource. Her sessions focus on challenging assumptions and helping business owners understand how their marketing actually works

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Kunbi Odubogun

 Legal Considerations in the Age of AI

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Renée Dalo

From Rambling to Ready: AI Video Editing with Descript

Renée Dalo is an international keynote speaker, confidence and visibility coach, and award-winning entrepreneur with 13+ years in the wedding and creative industries. Named one of the 50 Most Influential People in Events (Eventex) and a CPCC-certified coach. Renée is the founder of The Verve & Vision Club. Her teaching blends humor, strategy, and actionable tools that help entrepreneurs show up, stand out, and succeed.

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Mark Chapman

AI in Your Paid Ads: Do’s & Don’ts

Mark is the wedding industry's authority on paid advertising. His love of paid ads started in 2010 when he cracked the code of Google Ads for his family's wedding business. After mastering ads for himself he started helping others > and fast forward to now, his team successfully manages $30M per year in paid ads for wedding businesses across the country. When he's not studying advertising data and trends you can find Mark snowboarding, hiking and enjoying everything mother nature has to offer at his home in Mammoth Lakes, CA!

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Tayler Cusick Hollman

How Much Tech Do You *Really* Need to Market Your Wedding Business?

Tayler Cusick Hollman is a marketing consultant—the kind small business owners called when they needed a real plan and a pep talk. And in the 11 years she has spent in the marketing trenches with them, there has always been a common theme. Because it's not that small business owners don't know what to do with their marketing. It's that life keeps getting in the way of actually doing it. That frustration became the foundation for Enji, the only project management tool that bring planning and doing your marketing under one roof.

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Sara dunn

Get Started with GEO: 3 Tips to Get Found on AI Tools

Sara Dunn is the go-to Wedding SEO expert for planners, photographers, venues, and other wedding pros who want to rank higher on Google without the tech overwhelm. As the founder of Sara Does SEO, she offers done-for-you services, coaching, and courses built on her proven Wedding SEO Framework. A sought-after speaker and educator, Sara’s strategies help over a million searchers connect with wedding professionals each year.

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Ashley Ebert

AI-Powered Secrets of a Million-Dollar Sales System

 Ashley Ebert built a wedding planning business from the ground up, scaled it to 7 locations and 35 team members, and sold it for over a million dollars. Now, through The Abundance Group, a mastermind for ambitious wedding professionals, she helps them ditch the hustle loop and build businesses they actually love. Ashley is obsessed with pursuing passion, her community, and proving that wedding pros can have it all: the success, the freedom, and yes, have an absolute blast while building it!

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Courtney Donilon

How Your Tech Communicates Your Value

 Courtney Donilon is the founder of Haven & Hall, a strategic growth consultancy helping boutique hotels, inns, and venues build profitable wedding and group business strategies. With a background in hotels and events, corporate strategy and hospitality technology, she brings hands-on experience and proven business strategies to owner-operated properties. She's an active industry speaker and educator, known for helping owners bring structure and clarity to complex challenges so they can grow with confidence. Outside of work, she's cheering on her 7-year-old at soccer and basketball, hunting down great coffee shops, and skiing in Colorado whenever she gets the chance.

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Becca Mai

Automate - Don’t Autosend! - Simple Hospitable Ways to Streamline

Becca Mai, founder of Wed 2 You, coaches and mentors wedding professionals and creatives. With over 14 years in the wedding and events industry, she guides pros on implementing SOPs and systems to optimize, scale, and grow with clarity and confidence. Through 1:1 coaching and group masterminds, she helps build sustainable business operations rooted in hospitality and empathy. Her approach blends real-talk mentorship with proven strategy so wedding pros can work smarter (not harder!) and build businesses that truly support them and their clients.

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DJ MALIKE

How to Create and Maintain Authentic Customer Experiences and Culture Using AI

 Malike Adigun is a founder, storyteller, and high-energy speaker who believes joy is one of the most powerful forces in leadership, business, and life. As the Founder and CEO of Curate Entertainment, Malike has spent over 15 years creating meaningful experiences in the wedding and events industry while building teams, leading with intention, and putting people first.
Malike is known for his dynamic presence, honest storytelling, and practical wisdom. His presentations are engaging, uplifting, and deeply relatable—blending real-world lessons with moments of reflection and inspiration. Whether speaking to entrepreneurs, creatives, or teams, Malike challenges audiences to reconnect with their purpose, show up with intention, and lead in a way that creates lasting impact.

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Emily Jane Lee

Blog Smarter With AI (Without Sounding Robotic)

 Emily Jane Lee helps wedding pros create an online presence that feels clear, confident, and genuinely aligned with their work. Through her studio, By Emily Jane, she’s known for simplifying the overwhelming world of websites with thoughtful systems and a practical approach.

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Marc McIntosh

From Search to ‘I Do’: Winning Wedding Bookings with Google Business Profile & Bing Places

Marc McIntosh is the CEO and co-founder of Team Wedding Marketing, a company helping wedding pros grow through strategic marketing, SEO, and website development. After 25 years as a top wedding show producer and national speaker, Marc saw a pattern: most wedding pros excel at delivering weddings, but struggle to sell them. Team Wedding Marketing provides proven tools, insights, and hands-on support to help clients generate more leads, book more weddings, and reclaim their time. Marc’s deep industry knowledge helps wedding pros thrive in a competitive, seasonal, and emotionally driven business.

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Nina Addeo

The Beginners Guide to AI and Social Media

 Nina Addeo is a social media strategist, speaker, and the founder of I Do Wedding Marketing, a marketing agency dedicated exclusively to the wedding industry. She helps venues, planners, photographers, and other wedding professionals turn their social media into a powerful tool for visibility, trust, and bookings. Nina is the host of the I Do Wedding Marketing Podcas, where she teaches practical strategies for using social media, AI, and content marketing to grow a sustainable wedding business. Her approach focuses on making marketing feel approachable, effective, and aligned with the real goals of modern wedding professionals.

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Cherie Yang

Tech for Long Wedding Sales Cycles

 Cherie Yang is the Founder & CEO of Visualist, an AI-powered operating system for modern wedding pros and creative studios. She is building agentic AI that tracks projects, understands client context, and proactively supports real client work, with the mission of helping boutique businesses scale without losing their signature style. Cherie writes and speaks on AI, taste, and the future of creative entrepreneurship, and is host of the podcast, Taste Capital.

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Kristina Stubblefield

From Aisle to Algorithm: Wedding Content with AI

Kristina Stubblefield is a business strategist, educator, and speaker who helps wedding professionals simplify their marketing and show up online with clarity and consistency. With more than 20 years of experience in digital marketing and technology, she translates complex tools like AI into practical systems that save time and amplify authentic brand voice. Kristina is the co-owner of So In Media Group and host of the AI Simplified podcast, where she teaches entrepreneurs how to turn real experiences into meaningful content that attracts the right clients.

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Mary Gonzalez

Wedding Pro Back-end Audit Before Wedding Season

Mary is the founder of Systems Lane, where she helps wedding professionals organize the back-end of their businesses so they can grow without chaos.

A former wedding planner and former coach and general manager of The Wedding Academy, she understands the pressure of busy season firsthand.
Mary specialises in simplifying operations, documenting processes, and creating systems that help businesses run smoothly without the founder becoming the bottleneck.

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 Whitney Hodges & Daniela Justus

Speed to Lead: How Automations Give Instant Gratification and Bring More Structure to Your Business

Whitney Hodges is the co-founder of Wedding Industry Ads, a boutique digital advertising agency helping wedding pros attract high-quality leads through Google Ads and Meta Ads. With a background in luxury hospitality, she leads a team that makes strategic, data-driven advertising both approachable and effective. She and her business partner, Daniela Justus, developed their signature offers—the Google Search Accelerator and Meta Ads Accelerator—to help wedding planners show up where it matters most with campaigns built for visibility and ROI. Known for her clarity, creativity, and collaborative approach, Whitney is passionate about helping planners grow beyond organic marketing and referrals by building lead generation systems that run behind the scenes, 24/7.

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Cathy MacRae, MWP BEd BMus

AI for the "I'm Behind" Crowd: Your No-Shame Starter Kit

 Cathy MacRae has spent her career helping people learn skills that actually work in the real world. A former middle school band teacher for 16 years and a Master Wedding Planner™ with 17 years in the event industry, she understands both how people learn and what wedding professionals face behind the scenes. Today, Cathy is a social media strategist who helps entrepreneurs and wedding pros market their businesses with confidence and clarity. She specializes in making complex topics — like social media and AI — simple and practical to implement. Cathy regularly teaches webinars and speaks at industry conferences, helping solopreneurs turn marketing confusion into confidence.

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Katie Mast

Click to Contract: The New Era of Booking Clients in 2026

Katie is a highly respected leader in the Wedding, Event, and Creative Industries. She has worked with renowned brands such as HoneyBook, The Rising Tide Society, and Aisle Planner. Having spent almost a decade as a business owner of a destination wedding and event planning company, Katie now dedicates her time working with companies to help them grow and develop their genuine communities, promote ongoing education and diversity, and build strong and healthy brand partnerships.

Katie is known for being the biggest advocate and the kindest hype-girl for the modern-day wedding industry. She is beloved by her colleagues and the community for her open heart to mentor, willingness to keep learning, deep-rooted love for encouragement, and genuine friendship.

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Brandy Blackford

Everything Is Shiny: Where AI Helps + What You Can Skip

Brandy Blackford is a wedding planner first, working in a world built on trust, emotion, and once-in-a-lifetime moments that don’t get a redo. She is also the owner of Refine for Wedding Planners, where she helps wedding professionals build the systems and tools that support their work behind the scenes. Alongside her work in weddings, she collaborates with Pathfinder, a platform using AI in environments where accuracy and trust truly matter. This combination gives her a practical perspective on AI, helping wedding pros use it where it supports their business while preserving the human touch where it matters most.

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Tanisha Lee

The Invisible Assistant: Using Tech + AI Without Clients Ever Knowing

Tanisha Lee is planner, speaker, and the Event Systems Queen. As the Creative Director of Soirées by Lee and Founder of The Event Streets, she has built a reputation for making technology work for wedding and event professionals, not the other way around. With speaking credits at some of the industry's top conferences, Tanisha is a trusted voice on AI, automation, and tech implementation. She turns complex tools into practical strategies that help event pros streamline their businesses and increase revenue.

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Dana Bahr

AI-Powered Pinterest for Wedding Lead Generation

Dana Bahr is a Pinterest-led visibility strategist and founder of Dana’s Desk, where she helps wedding professionals build sustainable, search-driven marketing systems that attract aligned clients without relying on constant social posting. Known for her calm, systems-based approach, Dana teaches creative entrepreneurs how to use Pinterest and AI as strategic tools, turning one wedding gallery into long-term visibility and warming leads before they ever inquire.

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Cortnie Dee

Canva for Conversion: Materials That Book

Cortnie Davis is a Sales Consultant & Educator for Wedding Industry Creatives who love what they do, but don't love what their numbers are telling them. With a background spanning floristry, events, marketing, and small business operations, she helps wedding pros build smarter systems and sales skills that feel effortless and efficient, so they can actually make it home for dinner instead of spending another night getting crumbs on their laptops.

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Pearl Farquharson

 From Chaos to Clarity: Streamlining Your Wedding Business with Aisle Planner

Pearl “Delsie” Farquharson is the CEO and Creative Director of DELSIE, an award-winning destination event and experiential design studio based in Miami, Florida. With more than 15 years in the hospitality and events industry, she has produced over 400 weddings, brand activations, and milestone celebrations across the United States and internationally. A graduate of Johnson & Wales University with dual degrees in Culinary Arts and Hospitality, Pearl blends heritage, design, and elevated guest experience. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Essence, and Brides. She was named the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 Minority Business Owner of the Year and serves on the board of WIPA South Florida as Director of Programs at Large.

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Elizabeth Marberry

DMs to Dollars: Using ManyChat to Automate Your Instagram Funnel

Elizabeth Marberry is an Instagram marketing strategist and business growth mentor who helps wedding pros turn followers into booked clients without paid ads. As CEO of Wedding Dance Coach, she built a multi six figure wedding brand and grew a combined audience of 140,000+ through organic social media. She is the host of the top ranked podcast Strut It: Bold Visibility Through Instagram Marketing and has shared stages across the U.S. and internationally. A former professional dancer turned entrepreneur, Elizabeth blends creativity and strategy to help wedding businesses get seen and get paid.

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Erica Jankowski

Why Couples Ghost After Pricing (And How To Fix With AI)

Erica Jankowski is the Marketing Coach for Wedding Pro CEO and the strategist behind the clarity-first marketing systems taught inside the program. With over a decade in digital strategy and real-world experience as a successful wedding business owner, she helps wedding pros turn scattered marketing into clear positioning, consistent leads, and confident bookings. Known for her practical, encouraging approach, Erica specializes in messaging, email nurture, and visibility strategies that attract aligned clients.

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Ann Oleinik

Simple Systems to Save 10+ Hours a Week

Ann Oleinik is a wedding and branding photographer and the co-owner of Ann & Kam Photography & Cinema, a studio serving Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. With over 15 years in the wedding industry, Ann has built systems that combine creativity with modern technology to streamline business operations.
She is passionate about helping small business owners use AI and automation to simplify their workflow, improve client experiences, and reclaim time for the work they love most.

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Gail Fraser

Using ClickUp to Scale Your Wedding Business in 2026

Gail is a systems expert, speaker, founder of Worksimple, and Your Operations Fairy Godmother. She helps wedding professionals leverage workflow automation to scale sustainably and show up for vibrantly in and beyond their business.

WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Shakila Booker, CWEP

 The Organized Wedding Pro: Systems & AI Workflows That Simplify Your Business

Shakila Booker is the Owner & Managing Director of SML Assisting LLC, an executive virtual support company that provides strategic planning, administrative support, and event management for meeting, wedding, and event professionals. With over 20 years of experience in sales, logistics, and event management, she supports solopreneurs in building scalable businesses with confidence. Shakila is dedicated to exceptional service and high level performance. This is why she’s known as Your Business Nanny®! The core values surrounding her work are strong relationships, collaboration, and being detail oriented. When not assisting her clients, you will likely find Shakila traveling and enjoying family time.

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Amy Pearson

 Inbox Chaos to Booked Clients: How Wedding Pros Can Use Dubsado 

Amy Gould is a systems strategist and certified Dubsado specialist who helps wedding professionals turn messy back-end processes into smooth, automated client experiences. Through her business, Amy Gould & Co., she works with planners, photographers, and other wedding pros to streamline inquiries, booking, and onboarding so their businesses run more smoothly behind the scenes. With a background in HR and over 20 years in the Michigan Army National Guard, Amy brings a practical, organized approach to business systems. She believes great systems don’t replace personal service. They make it possible.

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AMber mCkinney

 From Digital Junk Drawer to Organized and Efficient

Amber McKinney is a wedding industry business strategist, venue owner, and founder of Vow to Grow. After a career in engineering and corporate management, Amber brought her systems mindset into the wedding industry and turned a struggling venue into a thriving, systemized business generating seven figure years and hosting more than 500 weddings in under five years. Today she helps wedding venue owners uncover hidden profit, design irresistible offers, and build systems that protect their time. Through coaching and education, Amber teaches entrepreneurs how to build profitable businesses that support their lives and their bank accounts.

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